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March Madness 2011 Is All About Momentum, But Does Notre Dame Have What It Takes To Make it to the Final Four?

Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the best conference in the country.

With that title, it's no shock that the Fighting Irish are a two-seed in the Southwest region, however, there is reason to be skeptical. Notre Dame hasn't made it past the second round since 2003, when the Fighting Irish made the Sweet 16.

The team is led by Ben Hansbrough, who has played extremely well for Notre Dame, who has leaned on his hot shooting to win some of its biggest games this year, which include wins over UConn, Villanova, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Georgetown.

That is quite the resume and the Fighting Irish have a pretty nice run to the Elite Eight ahead of them if they don't come out flat. A matchup with Purdue in the Sweet 16 could be a tough matchup, but we've seen that the Big Ten has had issues, especially on the offensive end and the Big East style of play matches up well against a team like the Boilermakers.

However, against a team like Kansas, a team that has a lot of size inside, it will be a tough test. Hansbrough will have to come up huge if the Fighting Irish meet the Jayhawks in the tournament. If he doesn't, then Kansas will pull away, using its size to dictate the tempo and wear down the Notre Dame defense.

It would be a compelling matchup and hopefully it happens, because it looks like Notre Dame is poised to go deep into this tournament.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

March Madness 2011 Will Provide Some Surprises, But Will the Aggies Avoid The First Round Upset?

As impressive as Texas A&M was to start the season, the Aggies have been just as inconsistent to end the campaign.

Texas A&M won 16 of the first 17 to start the season, but ended up limping to a 24-8 record and a 10-6 mark in the Big-12. That's not exactly the finish the Aggies had in mind, but it was enough to get a seven-seed in the big dance and a matchup against Florida State.

The Seminoles don't have many big wins on their resume, with a win over North Carolina standing as the only real signature win for Florida State. With that in mind, I think this gives the Aggies an advantage heading into this matchup. The Aggies have wins over Kansas State, Missouri and Washington. Furthermore, we've seen that Texas A&M can play solid basketball over a long stretch of time and that bodes well if it can get hot in the tournament.

Florida State will play the Aggies tough, but in the end, the Seminoles don't have enough in the tank to advance to a second-round matchup against Notre Dame. However, the Aggies don't have the firepower to beat the Fighting Irish.

I'd enjoy the experience while it lasts, because for Texas A&M, the big dance won't last for long. The Aggies may get hot, but they don't have the resume and the talent of a team like Notre Dame and when a team that hasn't played it's best basketball in a long time, gets into the tournament, they usually don't have a long run.

Sorry Texas A&M, but it's the truth. There's always hope though.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

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March Madness 2011 Will Reveal Sleepers, But Is Purdue One of Them?

In the Southwest region, a bracket that is dominated by the talk about Kansas and Notre Dame, don't sleep on Purdue.

Sure, the Big Ten doesn't have the greatest rep heading into the tournament, especially after the game between Wisconsin and Penn State that surely set basketball back for at least 50 years, but the Boilermakers are a team to watch for.

I'm not sold on the Fighting Irish and they seem like a team that is setting everyone up for a major letdown, and in a matchup against a team that can win ugly games and grind out victories, it favors a team like Purdue, that has plenty of experience playing in that type of contest.

The Boilermakers are limping into the tournament, coming off of losses to Iowa and Michigan State, and that's a reason for concern, but at the same time, Purdue did beat Ohio State earlier this year along with a victory over Wisconsin.

Those are two huge wins and on a neutral court, there's no reason the Boilermakers can't beat Notre Dame and get to the Elite Eight. Don't sleep on Purdue because of the finish to the season, because the Boilermakers have the tools to beat the best teams in the country.

It won't be pretty, but you don't win games in the NCAA tournament with style points. It's all about winning and you have to win ugly against the top teams in the country. Those games are slugfests, and that's what Big Ten basketball is all about.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

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March Madness 2011 Is A Time For Upsets, But Will Georgetown Find Itself On the Losing End Against the Play-In Winner?

Any time you come into the NCAA tournament riding a four-game losing streak, you're in trouble in the first round.

The Georgetown Hoyas find themselves in that position heading into its first-round matchup against the winner of USC and VCU. The Trojans will likely advance out of that matchup and the Hoyas can't have much in terms of confidence after the way their season ended.

There is no reason that we should really believe in Georgetown unless VCU somehow wins against USC. I think VCU is a team that has a questionable tournament resume at best and doesn't have the ability to pull off an upset against a team like the Hoyas, who have played some of the best teams in the country coming out of the Big East.

However, if USC can get after Georgetown, and if the Trojans jump out to an early lead, doubt is going to creep into the heads of the Hoyas after the way the last five games have gone for the team over the past four games. Once that thought is in your mind, you overthink plays, you try and force things that you know you shouldn't do and it can kill a team's tournament hopes.

The first five minutes of the opening game could make or break Georgetown's hopes of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament. If the Hoyas go out in the first-round, the heat is going to be on John Thompson III.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

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March Madness 2011 Has Louisville Playing out of the Four-Seed In the Southwest, But How Far Can Rick Pitino's Team Go?

Rick Pitino is no stranger to making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.

Pitino has led both Kentucky and Louisville to the Final Four and this year, he and the Cardinals are the fourth seed in the Southwest region and this team is a sleeping giant in this region. While some people think the Big East is overrated, it's still the toughest conference in college basketball and if you come out of that field to make the tournament, you're battle-tested and ready to go.

Louisville has beaten some of the best teams in the Big East and even beat Notre Dame, who is a two-seed, in the Big East tournament. Kansas needs to watch out in this region, because the Cardinals have all of the capabilities to pull an upset and make the Elite Eight and beyond.

This is a tough region, but the Cardinals are a lock to make it out of the first round and beat the winner of the Vanderbilt and Richmond matchup, even if the Spiders are a scary team, especially if they upset the Commodores and advance. The big test will be dealing with Kansas' size down low and battling the Morris brothers in the post.

If Louisville can get one or both of those big men in trouble, then the Cardinals have a punchers chance, and that's all you need in March to advance in the tournament. That's the beauty of this field and I can't wait to see how this region unfolds, but you better believe that Pitino's team will be a major factor in this region.

It's time for another classic Rick Pitino-led run deep into the NCAA tournament.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

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March Madness 2011 Has Seen the Return Of Richmond to the Big Dance, But Can The Spiders Down Vanderbilt?

The Richmond Spiders are no strangers to the NCAA Tournament.

Richmond made the big dance last year, only to lose to Saint Mary's. However, the Spiders are coming into the tournament red hot and drew a 12-seed and a matchup against Vanderbilt out of the SEC. Now anyone who has done multiple bracket pools over the years will tell you that one of the ways you can win your pool is looking for the upsets, and that some of them historically come from the matchup between the five and the 12 seeds.

Vanderbilt hasn't had a good win in almost a month and Richmond is red-hot coming out of the Atlantic-10, where it beat Temple, who is in the tournament as a seven-seed en route to winning the conference tournament.

If you're looking for an upset in your pool, look no further than the Spiders. This team has a ton of confidence and all of the momentum in the world coming into a matchup with an opponent that is in the need of something to believe in right now. I love the Spiders' chances, and this is going to be a great game that will go down to the wire.

When I turn my bracket in, it will have Richmond penciled into the second round and I don't see myself changing it before Thursday. The Spiders have all of the momentum going their way, and sometimes in the tournament it's all about who is hot, not who is the best team in the field.

Vanderbilt doesn't blow me away, especially with a 9-7 record in the SEC. The Commodores look upset prone and Richmond is the team they would rather not see right now.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

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March Madness 2011 Has Given Illinois A Chance For Redemption, But Will the Illini Take Advantage Against UNLV?

For Illinois, it's been a tale of two seasons.

Bruce Weber's team started the season winning 10 of its first 11, with an overtime loss to Texas sitting as the only blemish on the Illini's record. Since then, Illinois has been wildly inconsistent, winning no more than three games in a row, and that streak was in late December and early January.

Despite that inconsistency, Illinois was able to punch its ticket to the big dance and drew a nine-seed and a matchup with UNLV. The Running Rebels have beaten Wisconsin and Kansas State this season, both teams that are dancing, so it's not like UNLV doesn't have signature wins to its credit.

The Running Rebels were a combined 0-4 against BYU and San Diego State, the premier teams in their conference, and that has me believeing that Illinois is going to win this game. Sure, UNLV has some big wins, but Illinois saw some of the top teams in the Big Ten and has beaten them. The Illini know how to grind out victories and you need to be able to do that in March.

Weber and his team are going to beat UNLV and then have to worry about Kansas, and that matchup will send Illinois packing for home before the first weekend is up. But with the way the season ended, pulling a minor upset in the first round of the tournament is better than getting bounced after collapsing down the stretch.

Win or lose, when the Illini look back on this season, they'll wonder what could have been.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

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March Madness 2011 Has People Wondering if the Jayhawks Are the Team To Beat in the Southwest Region

Kansas has been one of the best teams all year and once the bracket came out on Sunday evening, it presented some tests for the Jayhawks. Bill Self's team drew teams like Purdue and Louisville in its region, both tough matchups to deal with if the squads were to meet on the road to the Final Four during the tournament.

Despite those tests, I love the Jayhawks to get out of the region and make it to the final four. With the Morris brothers working inside, I love Kansas' physicality and presence in the middle and that's going to be a tough assignment for any team in the region defensively.

Those two have to come up big all tournament long if Kansas has any shot of making a deep run in the tournament. They have to be physical, they have to be assertive and they have take games over each time the Jayhawks take the court.

We've seen all year long that Kansas can hang with the big boys and I think the Jayhawks won't just make the Final Four, but get to the national championship game and have an excellent chance of winning the entire thing.

The only way they'll get there is if both Marcus and Markieff play at the highest level every time they hit the court. The brothers are two of the best big men in the country and Kansas has relied on them all year long. The potential is there for a dominant tournament run, now those two need to play their best basketball of the year.

One slip-up will send the Jayhawks packing for home.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.

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March Madness 2011 Has Already Been Full of Drama, But Can USC Avoid The Upset in the Play-In Round?

I don't like this new play-in system, but who is going to complain about more basketball?

Let me just get my gripe with this system out of the way right now. I'm fine with four play-in games, that's great. What I don't like is how two 11-seeds have to play for the right to get into the tournament. The only thing this tells me is that the NCAA wanted to drum up interest for games I'd normally ignore before the actual tournament started.

Not only that, but it does change how I pick my bracket, especially when one of these play-in games features a 12-seed. But I digress.

The play-in game in the Southwest region is USC and VCU for the right for the 11-seed and a matchup against Georgetown. There are plenty of people that don't like VCU being in the tournament, but if you couldn't crack this tournament field, it's your fault and no one should feel sorry for you. Every team that didn't make it had major flaws it's not like some of these selections had no basis.

With that being said, USC is favored in this matchup, and the Trojans should win. USC just needs to guard the perimeter and avoid letting VCU get hot from the outside. If that happens, the Trojans could be in deep, deep trouble and have to fight to the wire to get a win.

USC is battle-tested in the Pac-10 and VCU didn't have the strongest tournament resume entering Selection Sunday as it is. The Trojans will make quick work of VCU and then turn around and try to prepare for Georgetown. That's the good news, the bad news is that I don't like their chances after this play-in game.

You can't win them all I suppose.

For more on March Madness, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's hub for all things related to the NCAA Tournament.

Also, if you're looking for a bracket to fill out to keep handy for this weekend, be sure to download Bleacher Report's printable tournament bracket.